Dump-car-door-operating mechanism.



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. J.R. GROVES.. 4 DUMP GAR DOOR OPERATING MEOHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1908.

INVENTOR,

J /i 'Ci/jo res.

ATTQHJVEY WITN JSSES PAT-ENTED JUNE 18, 190?.

J. R. GRovBs. DUMP GAR DOOR OPERATING MEGHAN ISM.

APPLICATION FILED JNE 1. 1906.

NIWNTOR. J 5. Groves.

ATTORM'K a DV N. m m m w m s m 1 E P n v N E m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. GROVES, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HERR DUMP CAR COMPANY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.

Application led June 1,1906. Serial No. 319,722.

To cir/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs R. GRovEs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dump-Oar-Door-Operating Mechanism g and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description 4 of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereonfwhicli form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to ,mechanism designed to operate the discharge doors of dumping cars, and more particularly to a winding construction, by the use oi' which the released or opened doors can be quickly and with moderate manual exertion raised and carried to the closed position. The operating attachments are all disposed upon one end of the car, permitting the operator `to release and rewind the doors without being required to leave his position, in manipulating the construction, thus greatly expediting the work; I furthermore require no separate or special tools or attachments, as wrenches, keys, etc.

In the accompanying drawings, the attachment is shown as being used in conjunction with longitudinally disposed, bottom discharge doors.

The construction of doors shown in the drawings is of special design, their several hinge-bar ends upon both their outer and inner longitudinal edges being adapted to coperate with separable hinge-locking devices suitably secured to the body of the car, thereby permitting the release of the door from either the inner or outer edge, and the consequent discharge of the cargo either inwardly or outwardly as may be required. This construction of door fastening is similar to that shown and claimed in application, Serial No. 315,265 iiled by Herbert T. Herr, May 4th, 1906. My construction is especially adapted to meet the requirements incident to the raising and closing of these inner and outer releasable doors.

The attachment is of simple and durable construction, havin but fewparts, which can be readily insta led and etfectually Yand reliably operated.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross section, all of the right Y half, and the upper part of the left half of which is taken upon section line s-s, of Figs. 2 and 3, the portion of the left half below the broken line being on section line U-U of the same figures. In this iigure the left hand door E is shown in the raised or closed position, and the right hand door E in open position, the inner separable hingelocking devices H being released. I indicate by broken lines in the iigure the several positions into which the doors may be dropped from any of which my winding attachment is operative, and will return the doors to the closed position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction mounted upon and adjacent to the operative end of the car, the sloping end oor of the same being cut away approximately upon section line V-V of Fig. 3, to more clearly show the parts. The position of the discharge doors in this figure being the same as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a car equipped with my construction, which is shown principally in side elevation, the view being taken approximately on section line X-X of Fig. 2. In this iigure the construction is shown with the discharge door E in closed position, corresponding with the left hand door of Fig. 1. The released, outward discharge position of the door is shown in broken lines. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of a detail portion of the construction attached to the discharge door. Fig. 5 is an enlarged scale, detail cross section of a part of the door construction, taken on section line Y--Y of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an enlarged scale detail side elevation of the construction corresponding with Fig. 5. Eig. 7 is a reduced scale lon itudinal section of the car body taken on ine :z3-a; Fig. 2, in which is shown an alternative construction of my attachment.

Similar reference characters throughout the description indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In the drawings, I illustrate in a general waya construction of dumping car body having an A-shaped built up central longitudinal truss-beam A, side channels B, B, bolsters O, O, sloping end floors D, D, and two longitudinally hinged discharge doors E and F, both hinged upon their respective inner and outer edges, to separable hinge-locking devices G, G and H, H mounted upon the central and side` channels beams of the car body as shown. Duplicate winding constructions co erating respectively with each door E an F are suitably mounted upon the car body, in a vertical plane substantially onthe longitudinal center of each discharge door. These comprise a cable, chain, band or other suitable construction 2, the forward end of which is secured to a vertical winding shaft 3, which is suitably securely mounted in upper and lower brackets or bearings 4, 4,'upon the main car bolster C, as shown. The winding chain 2 is secured to the shaft 3 between these bearings as at 24. A ratchet 5 is keyed .upon the winding shaft 3, immediately above the upper bearing 4, adjacent to and coperating with which is a. pawl 6 pivotally mounted on the same bearing. `Onto the upper end of each winding shaft is secured a hand wheel 7. Transverse sheave supporting beams 8, 8 are mounted upon the car body adjacent to the forward end of the discharge doors, and similar transverse supporting beams 9, 9 are mounted adjacent to the rear end of the doors. A sheave 10 carrying the cable 2, is mounted in a swiveling yoke 10@L jointedly hung upon the center of the sup porting beam 8. Any required number of sheaves 11, 11, 11 are mounted upon the under side of the discharge doors E and F, upon the longitudinal centers of the same, with one each adjacent either end of the door. These sheaves are mountedin a construction clearly shown in the enlarged scale detail Figs. 5 and 6, comprising twoy longitudinally disposed angle iron beams 12, 12 of the same lengthas the doors, securely bolted to the several transverse door hinge irons and being spaced sufficiently to admit the sheaves which are secured upon axial bolts 11"L between the depending angles 12a of the beams.

Transverse supporting braces 13, are bolted to the door hinge irons andr sheave supporting beams over each sheave, forming a supporting brace against lateral forces upon the sheaves as when raising the door F from the fully opened position shown in Fig. 1. This brace also forms a guard iron 13a beneath the sheaves 11.

A swivel ring 14 is jointedly mounted up on the transverse supporting beams 9, 9 to which is secured the socket end 2h4 of the windinv cable 2. In the drawings this winding cable is shown as being fitted with a loopsocket 23 upon the forward end,'which is secured to the end of a short section of winding chain 2Cl which is bolted to and Wound around the shaft l 3. From the windingsshaft 3, the cable 2 is carried back over the supporting sheave l0, then down and under `the door sheaves 11, and up to the rear support 14.

This cable moves freely backward orforward in a longitudinal direction between the door sheaves 11 and guard irons 13a. A chain throughout can be used instead of the steel cable as shown, if preferred.

By referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the cable supporting eye 14, and the support ing sheave 10 are disposed in a horizontal plane somewhat above the plane of the discharge door sheaves, thus forming in the cable a flexible truss member, which when wound taut carries the door u to the closed `position where it can be posltively secured by moving the separable hinge members into 'engagement An important function arises consequent.v

upon the usingof this longitudinally, centrally applied, flexible, trussed cable winding member .in conjunction with this specific construction of inwardly or outwardly releasable hinge, and dropping door, which I believe to be entirely new, inasmuch as the construction permits the door to be dropped partly or entirely open in either direction. while the winding cable lis at all times disposed beneath the same, from either of which position simply rewinding the cable without special or supplemental adjustments carries the open door up into the closed position.

It will also be seen by reference to the right half of Fig. 2 showing in plan the open door F, and adjacent open door-space, and also by reference to Fig. 3, where the sloping sections of the winding cable pass beneath the ends of the door, clear of the same, that this winding cable or chain construction does not pass across the discharge opening, nor in any degree obstruct the same. This is an important feature in practice inasmuch as constructions re uiring the winding chains t"o pass across tie discharge opening frequently have such chains broken away by the impact of heavy masses of discharging cargo. There is danger also of their being rendered inoperative because of in transporting damp or `wet cargoes in freezing weather such chains are liable to become inoperatively embedded in the frozen mass.

As will be 'seen by referring to Fig. 3 the equipment beneath the discharge doors is comparatively simple and very compact, thereby reducing to a minimum the damage liable Vto result from stripping the car body equipment, in an accident. If damaged the repairs call for no such expensive work, as reforging, lining-up or possibly replacing expensive shafting, gearing, levers etc.

IOO

An alternative construction of my attachl ment is shown in Fig. 7, wherein the flexible device is attached at'the respective ends to winding shafts 3 and 3a by sections of Winding chains 2d and 2B, a supporting sheave 14EL and transverse beam 9et replacing the swivel ring 14 and transverse behutitarpy this arrangement it will be understood can be raised by windingwith either shaft 3 a manipulating the invention, what '-derneath the latter in a line parallel with its a guide connected with the door by the flexible device, and

the flexible device be taken up and paid hinging axis, and engaged means connected with whereby the latter may out at will.

2. The combination in a dump car having a hinged dumping door, of a flexible device passing underneath the door in a line parallel with its hinging axis, the said device being lixedly connected with the car at one end of the door, and means located at the opposite end of the door with which the flexible device is connected for manipulating the latter for door-closing and releasing purposes.

3. In a dump car provided with a dumping door hinged at its opposite longitudinal edges, means cooperating with the hinging member to release the door at either edge for dumping purposes, and a flexible device extending underneath the door and centrally disposed, whereby as the flexible device is pro erly manipulated the door may be raised to t e closed position.

Lf. A dumping car provided with a hinged dumping door, and means cooperating with the hinge members to release the door for dumping purposes, and a exible device fixedly connected with the car at one extremity of the door, and extending underneath the same, and means connected with the flexible device at the opposite extremity of the door whereby the flexible device may be wound up or paid out as desired, the flexible device being entirely independent of the releasing means.

5. In a dump car, the combination with a hinged dumping door, ofv a flexible device connected with the car at one extremity of the door parallel with the line of its hinging axis, passing underneath the door, means connected with the flexible device at the opposite extremity of the door for manipulating the said device for door-closing and releasing purposes, and anti-frictional guides secured to t e under surface of the door and engaged by the flexible device.

o. The combination with a vehicle body having a dumping door, of a flexible device connected with the car at one extremity of the door and extending underneath the same, means connected with the flexible de- 'extending underneath the door,

that the door l. vice at the opposite extremity of the door for flexible device, the Under side of the door being provided with a channel, and anti-frictional means supported by the walls of the channel and engaged by the flexible device.

7. The combination with` a vehicle body provided with a dumping door, of a flexiblev device extending underneath the door, a swiveled socket in which one extremity of the flexible device is anchored, a sheave located at the opposite extremity of the door and engaged by the flexible device, and a swiveled holder for the last named sheave.

8. The combination with a vehicle body having a dumping door, of a flexible device means for holding the flexible device at one extremity,

l means connected with the opposite extremity of the flexible device for manipulating the latter for door-closing purposes, sheaves journaled in the door` on the under side and engaged by the flexible device, and braces passing underneath the sheaves whereby the flexible device is prevented from leaving the sheaves.

9. The combination with a vehicle body rovided with a door hinged at both longitudinal edges, means cooperating with the hinged members for releasing the door at either hinged edge, and a flexible device extending underneath the door, means for retaining the flexible device in operative position underneath the door, means for anchoring the flexible device at one extremity, and means connected with the opposite extremity of the flexible device for manipulating the latter for door-closing purposes.

10. The combination with a vehicle body having a door hinged at both longitudinal edges, means cooperating with the hinged members of the door for releasing the latter to allow the door to open at either hinged edge, a flexible device extending underneath the longitudinal center of the door, the door being provided with guides for the flexible device whereby it is maintained in operative relation with the door, and means connected with the flexible device for manipulating the latter for door-closing purposes.v

11. The combination with a vehicle body having a central longitudinally disposed beam, hinged dumping doors located on opposite sides of the said beam, means cooperating with the hinged member of each door for releasing the door to allow it to open at its hinged edge, and a flexible device extending underneath each door parallel with the line of its hinging axis, and means connected with the flexible device for manipulating the latter for door-closing purposes.

12. The combination with a vehicle body proydded with a dumping door, means for releasing the door to allow it to open for IOO IIO

` pro vided With a hinged dumping door, means dumping purposes, a flexible device extendmeans connected With the flexible device at ing underneath the door, parallel with its the opposite extremity of the door. hinging axis, means connected with the 14. The combination With a vehicle body flexible device and located in a plane above having a dumping door, of a cable connected the plane of the door, whereby the flexible at one extremity of the door, extending undevice is supported at the opposite extremiderneath the latter parallel with its hinging ties of the door, and means connected with axis, a chain connected With the opposite exthe flexible device for manipulating the lattremity of the cable, and awinding shaft with ter for doo1closing and releasing purposes. Which the chain extremity of the cable is 13. The combination With a vehicle body connected.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JAMs R. eRovEs.

l l cooperating With the hinged members of the I door for releasing the door to allow it to open at its hinged edge, a flexible device extending I underneath the door-parallel With is hinging Vitnesses: axis, means for anchoring the fiexible device DENA N ELsoN, at one extremity of the door, and Winding A. J. OBRIEN. 

